Norwegian Fjord Country

We spent our first night in Norway at a small lakeside hotel in Oppheim. We had some trouble finding the hotel because we thought it was in Voss, the major town in the area. We didn’t have the GPS set up yet, so were trying to find it by using the address. Finally, we found the tourist information office where we learned that the hotel was actually in Oppheim, a village about 20 km further north. We also found a place to get my phone set up for data using the card we had saved from our trip two years ago. With those two tasks accomplished we headed to Voss, settled in and had a lovely dinner on the hotel deck overlooking the lake. Since we had been up over 24 hours, we turned in early.

Caribou on the hotel lawn

Of course, that also meant I was up at 4:30 the next morning. The sun did drop below the horizon for a few hours, but it never did get dark. I spent those early morning hours taking advantage of the early morning light for a few pictures. After breakfast we drove to Vik, a medium-sized town about 50 km away on an arm of the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest and deepest fjord. Our friend Cherie discovered that her family has connections there and it has two significant churches well worth seeing. You can read about the churches in a separate post.

The drive from Oppheim  to Vik is stunning. A short climb and a couple of tunnels took us to Myrkdalen ski resort. We saw several chair lifts and tow ropes, a beautiful old hotel joined by over a hundred cabins and campsites, a newer hotel, and another new hotel under construction. Obviously, this is a popular place in the winter, while summer offers some great trails for hiking.

Myrkdalen Ski Resort

From there we zigzagged up a mountainside past several waterfalls. As we crossed the plateau we were entertained by more waterfalls and lakes and even a couple of sheep munching the grass by the side of the road. The beauty of all this is amazing and easily explains why so many Norwegians own or rent vacation cabins. Some rent a one-room building at a campground and park their travel trailer next to it creating a small home. Others simply build their own cabin. We saw individual cabins and campgrounds all over in the mountains, andalong lakes, streams, and fjords. Everyone raises a Norwegian pennant when they are in residence so local officials know someone is in there in case of an emergency. I can’t imagine a better way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city on weekends and full vacations. We have to remember that Europeans, unlike Americans, understand the value of time off work. ‘Nuff said on that score.

Lots of switchbacks in Norway

And mountain cabins

Looking back down after climbing the switchbacks

Not exactly wildlife

After visiting the churches in Vik, we drove a few extra miles to Vangsnes to see the 26-meter tall statue of Fridtjov den Frøkne, a Viking who lived in Vangsnes standing atop a 12-meter high plinth on a hill overlooking the Sognefjord. The story of his love for Ingeborg, the daughter of King Bele as told by the Swedish poet, Esaias Tegner, in 1825 is a popular poem sold all over Europe. Sculpted by Berlin artist Max Unger the statue was a gift from the German Emperor Wilhelm II, a frequent summer visitor to the Norwegian Fjords. Both attended the dedication on July 13, 1913. Thirteen months later, Europe was embroiled in World War I which would cost Wilhelm his throne and end the monarchies of Germany, Austria, and Russia.

From Vik, we took a long way back to Oppheim along arms of the Sognefjord and across the high plateau separating Oslo in the east from the fjords of the western coast. The drive took us first through Flåm, a small town on the Sognefjord and the lower end of one of the world’s best train rides. We took that train ride about six years ago as part of the tour that was our introduction to Norway. The train meanders up the mountainside past waterfalls and lakes with a stop at one of Norway’s most scenic waterfalls. Everyone gets off the train to see the falls unencumbered by the window and other passengers and to listen to the beautiful nymph(s) singing a Grieg aria. I add the (s) because at one point the singer disappears into the cliffside only to reappear moments later further down the falls. At the conclusion of the singing, everyone reboards the train continuing on to Myrdal.

The crowd in Flam. There were two cruise ships.

With the number of people we saw wandering the small harbor and shopping area of Flam, it is apparent that the train is full every day all summer long. Flåm also hosts regular ferries from across the fjord and we saw two cruise ships anchored in the tiny harbor. I was glad we weren’t staying overnight there although I imagine it is quite pleasant in the evenings after the cruise ships and day tourists leave. Flam does have a magnificent old hotel built around 1900 to serve the fishermen who came from Britain and elsewhere to catch the mighty salmon that used to be common in the fjord. Our hotel host told us they used to catch a lot of 20-40 pound salmon here, but now almost the only salmon you can find are those produced by the fish farms for which Norway is internationally famous.

An arm of Sojnefjord

One of several waterfalls

Note the hotel overlooking the waterfall

This lake borders the town of Voss

The rest of the drive back to Oppheim was through 150 miles of beautiful scenery as we climbed up the walls of one fjord, journeyed across the plateau passing numerous lakes, waterfalls, and snowfields, before descending again to Voss for dinner and on to our hotel. It seemed like we were never out of sight of water, whether it was a waterfall, stream, lake, or snowfield. Every trip through fjord country also means tunnels ranging in length from less than 100 feet to several kilometers. Norway’s longest tunnel  is over 20 miles long and has a rest stop near the center for drivers needing a break. The longest we saw was only 11.4 km but over the course of the day we were in 40 tunnels for a total of 68 km. The most amazing one we hit includes a roundabout, exits directly onto a bridge across a fjord, and enters another tunnel immediately upon leaving the bridge. The bridge was finished first. Engineers were disappointed were disappointed to find they were a couple of inches off when they finished the tunnels.. New tunnels are still being built as Norway continues to improve driving conditions for its residents and tourists. Trains and tour buses are a good way to see the countryside, but nothing beats having your own car to experience the joy of driving the Norwegian roads.

A new tunnel under construction